Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium (falciparum, vivax, ovale, malariae and knowlesi) that infect and destroy red blood cells, leading to fever, severe anemia, cerebral malaria and, if untreated, death. Plasmodium falciparum is the dominant species in sub-Saharan Africa, and is responsible for the almost 1 million deaths each year. The disease burden is heaviest in African children under 5 years of age and in pregnant women. Plasmodium vivax causes 25-40% of the global malaria burden, particularly in South and Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. The other two main species that are known to infect humans are Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae. A fifth species Plasmodium knowlesi, a species that infects primates, has led to human malaria, but the exact mode of transmission remains unclear.
Malaria is a disease that is prevalent in many developing countries. Approximately 40% of the world's population lives in countries where the disease is endemic; approximately 247 million people suffer from the disease every year.
Various medications are presently used for the treatment of malaria. However, many of these medications are costly and some exhibit significant toxicity and undesirable side effects in humans. The most common drug for treating malaria is chloroquine. Other drugs include quinine, melfloquine, atovaquone, proguanil, doxycycline, artesunate, hydroxychloroquine, halofantrine, pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine, and primaquine.
However, the widespread emergence of drug resistance of malaria parasites in many tropical countries has compromised many of the current chemotherapies and there is a continued need for new chemotherapeutic approaches. Accordingly, provide herein are novel potent anti-malarial agents and methodology of treating malaria using novel potent anti-malarial agents.
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